Bhubaneswar, Nov. 4: Actor Sabyasachi Mishra and Happy, a giant-sized smiley, are prancing around various places across the city meeting children and conducting interactive sessions.
Apart from spreading happiness, they are promoting the annual children's festival Anjali scheduled to take place here from November 14 to 18.
With Sabyasachi as the brand ambassador of the festival and Happy its mascot, the aim is to promote the objective of the festival - a world for both mainstream and differently-abled kids - among the masses.
"I attended the festival last year and was quite elated to meet the special children from across the country. I wanted to experience it this year as well. My aim is to spread the word among people that every child has his or her ability and our job is to give it a boost," said Sabyasachi.
Preparations for the event are on in full swing. Around 1,500 children from 30 places across the country and 35 areas from Odisha will take part in the festival.
A series of workshops, competitions, cultural programmes, musical performances and exhibitions will be organised at the Adivasi Ground, the venue for the festival.
This year, around 130 college students from institutes such as KISS, BJB College, RD Women's University and Biju Patnaik College of Science and Education will volunteer for the event. Orientation meetings are being conducted every week to brief them about their duties.
"At the meetings, we are explaining them about the objectives of the festival. They have been divided into individual departments and their tasks have been distributed," said Asit Kumar Behera, co-ordinator of the event.
A special event called 'Basket of Love' will be conducted this year where underprivileged children will be provided with study materials and winter clothes. The volunteers are gathering items for the initiative from individuals and corporate houses.
A carnival will be flagged off on the inaugural day of the festival where children and youths dressed in bright costumes will take part in the procession from Ram Mandir Square to Adivasi Ground.
The festival for this year is 'A world for all, overcoming barriers'. Last year, it was centred around brotherhood and solidarity.
"We make it a point to celebrate the festival on a particular theme to ensure that children get to involve themselves in joyful learning. This year, we are promoting a world where there is equal opportunities for children from all sections of the society," said disability rights' activist and chief coordinator of Anjali, Sruti Mohapatra.
A number of actors, social activists, sportspersons and administrators have been invited to interact with the children.
The festival began in 2001 in an attempt to provide a platform to the differently-abled children to showcase their talents and skills. Since its inception, it has reached out to around 30,000 children.
